F 
SI  I 

03 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


'J[;H|i:,  JiUFFALO  RANGE. 


.JSh 


147 


THE  BUFFALO  KANGE. 

By  TireoDOKE  R.j  Davis.    Il,lu8tkatki>  bv  the  Actuos. 


P5~=t 


THE   HEBn    LEAT>EE. 


T 


HE  American  bison,  or  buffalo,  as  tlie  ani- 
mal is  here  familiarly  designated,  differs  in 
very  many  prominent  y)oints  from  the  European 
bison  and  the  Indian  buffalo  of  Asia  and  Afri- 
ca. It  has  a  pair  of  ribs  more  than  the  Euro- 
pean bison,  and  two  pair  more  than  the  do- 
mestic ox.  The  limbs  and  tail  of  the  Ameri- 
can bison  are  much  shorter  than  those  of  any 
of  the  bison  species,  unless,  indeed,  we  except 
the  musk-ox,  which  inhabits  the  coldest  regions 
of  this  continent. 


A  somewhat  extended  investigation  leads  me 
to  believe  that  the  bison  once  ranged  as  far  east 
as  the  Atlantic  sea-board  in  Virginia  and  the 
Carolinas,  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  they 
ever  reached  points  to  the  east  of  the  Hudson 
River  or  Lake  Champlain. 

From  Catesby  we  learn  that  about  the  year 
1712  herds  of  buffalo  were  to  be  seen  with- 
in thirty  miles  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 
At  present,  however,  if  one  desires  to  do  buf- 
falo liunring  he  must  journey  something  like 


148 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


two  thousand  miles  westward  from  the  Atlan- 
tic coast.  A  few  English  gentlemen  recently 
undertook  a  biiiialo  hunt  among  the  Catskill 
Mountains,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Coving- 
ton, Kentucky,  but  in  each  case  failed  to  find 
the  game  of  which  they  were  in  quest.  These 
gentlemen  should  now  go  to  Leavenworth,  Kan- 
sas, and  from  thence  proceed  west  by  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad,  Eastern  Division,  or,  as  it  is 
familiarly  known  in  the  Western  country,  "the 
Smoky  Route."  Then  they  may  find  the  buf- 
falo herds,  hunt  them,  and  perhaps  be  hunted 
by  them  too,  if  they  prove  no  better  buffalo 
hunters  than  some  of  the  Britons  that  I  have 
seen  ecutter  away  chased  by  a  wounded  bull. 
Neither  will  the  party  need  the  permit  which 
an  English  gentleman  who  had  journeyed  across 
the  Atlantic  in  quest  of  sport  was  anxious  to 
obtain.  Could  any  thing  be  more  absurd  to  an 
American  than  to  have,  as  once  I  did,  a  person 
ask,  "Ah,  and  could  you  favor  me  with  the 
person's  name  who  would  kindly  furnish  me 
with  a  permit  to  hunt  the  buffalo  ?  Are  they 
carefully  preserved?     They  should  be." 

The  best  hunting-ground  at  present  will  be 
found  between  the  Republican  and  Arkansas 
rivers.  For  days  I  have  traveled  pony-back 
over  this  section  of  the  Plains,  when  at  any 
moment  I  could  glance  in  some  direction  and 
look  upon  vast  herds  of  buffalo.  There  may  be 
some  little  objection  to  this  hunting  ground 
arising  from  the  fact  that  it  is  the  favorite  one 
of  the  most  unreliable  Indians  that  range  the 
Plains,  and  you  are  safe  only  so  long  as  you 
are  not  discovered  by  these  same  aborigines. 

From  the  last  of  July  until  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember the  buffaloes  are  engaged  in  settling 
family  matters  for  the  year  to  come.  The  bulls 
fight  viciously,  and  are  attended  during  these 


combats  by  an  admiring  concourse  of  wolves, 
who  are  ever  ready  to  come  in  at  the  death  of 
either  of  the  combatants,  or  will  even  take  a 
chance  in  and  finish  any  killing  that  has  been 
imperfectly  done. 

It  is  at  this  season,  too,  that  the  young  bulls 
promote  themselves,  by  establishing  a  retiring 
board  and  driving  the  old  and  useless  officers 
ou^  of  the  herd.  This  expulsion  is  final,  as 
after  being  thus  driven  out  the  old  bulls  wan- 
der singly  or  in  small  bands  over  the  Plains. 
At  times  they  may  tarry  in  the  vicinity  of  a 
herd,  but  I  have  never  known  them  to  join  one 
permanenth\ 

The  leader  of  a  buffalo  herd  is  generally  a 
splendid-looking  young  bull,  who,  having  fought 
himself  into  his  position,  holds  himself  ready  to 
maintain  his  rank  by  the  same  prowess  that  has 
gained  it.  This  party,  it  may  be  needless  to 
remark,  has  now  and  tlien  a  fight  on  his  hands, 
or  may  be,  to  speak  very  correctly,  horns. 

The  buffalo  cow  carries  its  calf  eleven  months, 
July  being  in  Indian  parlance  "  the  moon  of 
heat  and  buffalo  pappoose."  The  buffalo  con- 
tinues to  grow  until  it  is  seven  or  eight  years 
Old,  and  ordinarily  lives,  if  unmolested,  to  reach 
the  age  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  years.  I  once 
saw  a  buffalo  killed  (by  a  green  hunter)  which, 
judging  from  the  rings  upon  the  horns  and  oth- 
er signs  of  age,  must  have  been  nearly  if  not 
quite  fifty  years  old.  The  meat,  I  may  re- 
mark, was  a  little  tough. 

The  average  gross  weight  of  grown  bulls  is 
about  twenty  -  five  hundred  pounds.  I  once 
killed  a  buffalo  that  weighed  over  three  thou- 
sand pounds  gross.  Old  bulls  are  not  often 
killed  by  the  experienced  hunter,  as  the  beef 
of  the  younger  members  of  the  herd  is  far  pref- 
erable as  food,  it  being  more  tender  and  free 


VOUNO    UUKFALO   OOW    AND    0A1.K 


THE  BUFFALO  RANGE. 


141) 


THE  UKBI>  MOVIJSO  TOWABD   WATER. 


from  the  decidedly  disagreeable  and  rank  flavor 
noticeable  in  the  tough  old  bull-beef  that  nov- 
ices are  apt  to  select  as  their  game. 

The  young  calf  is  very  light  in  color.  This 
changes  and  deepens  as  fall  ^ves  way  to  win- 
ter, and  the  chill,  keen  winds  of  the  Plains 
begin  their  frosty  song,  "More  hair,  more 
hair."  Will  Corastock  used  to  aver  this  to  be 
the  burden  of  the  music  of  the  breezes  ;  "  for," 
he  would  say,  "don't  you  see  how  quickly  the 
Indian  beef  puts  on  his  thick  coat?  That  is 
undoubtedly  the  reason  why  he  does  it."  Dur- 
ing the  winter  season  the  hair  is  of  a  rich  brown 
color.  This  coat  of  hair  is  shed  from  the  flanks 
and  sides,  as  well  as  considerably  thinned  out 
about  the  head  and  shoulders,  dnring  the  next 
summer ;  and  the  fall  of  the  second  year  sees  it 
darker  and  more  luxuriant  than  during  the  sea- 
son previous.  Once  past  the  prime  of  life  and 
the  hair  becomes  tinged  with  a  rusty  brown. 
Will  Comstoc.k  used  to  designate  these  as  "  old 
moss-backs,"  which  could  not  carry  any  of  his 
lead,  and  might  be  good  coyote  bait,  but  not 
the  kind  that  he  bit  at  if  he  had  any  choice  in 
the  matter.  But  the  tongues,  tender-loin,  and 
hump  of  such  a  buff'ulo  arc  not  to  be  despised, 
and  the  rest  of  the  beef  would  not  be  consid- 
ered tough  by  the  frequenters  of  some  of  the 
restaurants  of  Gotham. 

A  few  months  since  passengers  on  the  way  to 
Denver  and  Salt  Lake,  by  the  Smoky  Hill  route, 
had  frequent  opportunities  of  seeing  herds  of 
buffalo  from  the  cars  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road, and  on  several  occasions  the  buttalo  were 


sufficiently  close  to  the  trains  to  be  killed  by 
shots  from  the  car  windows  and  platforms  ;  the 
engineer  being  accommodating  enough  to  slow 
the  locomotive  sufficiently  to  keep  pace  with 
the  buffiilo,  which  were  seemingly  engaged  in 
a  race  with  the  iron  horse.  When  buffalo  were 
killed  the  train  was  stopped,  the  game  secured 
being  granted  a  free  ride  in  the  baggage-car. 
It  would  seem  to  be  hardly  possible  to  imagine 
a  more  novel  sight  than  a  small  band  of  buffiilo 
loping  along  within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  a 
railroad  train  in  rapid  motion,  while  the  pas- 
sengers, are  engaged  in  shooting,  from  every 
available  window,  with  rifles,  carbines,  and  re- 
volvers.    An  American  scene,  certainly. 

The  feeding-ground  of  the  buffiilo  is  usually 
located  at  some  distance  from  the  streams  at 
which  they  quench  their  thirst.  If  undisturbed, 
the  buffalo  frequently  graze  for  days  in  the  same 
vicinity,  moving  once  each  day,  usually  at  even- 
ing, toward  the  water.  At  this  time  it  is  a 
picturesque  sight  to  see  them ;  each  band  is  be- 
ing led  by  its  chief,  and  the  whole  herd  by  "a 
leader."  Flankers  are  thrown  out;  the  cows 
and  calves  are  in  the  centre  of  the  herd,  which 
moves  slowly.  Many  of  the  buffalo  are  formed 
in  lines  of  greater  or  less  numbers.  Their  head? 
are  down,  frequently  so  low  that  the  long,  mat- 
ted beard  drags  and  brushes  the  ground.  They 
seem  satisfied  that  the  sentinels  are  doing  their 
duty,  and  that  any  sign  of  danger  would  be 
quickly  noted  and  signaled  to  the  herd. 

Some  hunters  have  told  me  that  the  buff^alq 
is  supplied  with  a  sort  of  internal  reservoir,  by 


150 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


THE  STINKING    WATEE. 


means  of  which  they  are  enabled  to  travel  long 
distances  away  from  water  without  suffering  in- 
convenience from  thirst ;  also  that  a  person  per- 
ishing from  thirst  may,  by  killing  the  buffalo  and 
having  recourse  to  this  spring,  find  the  much- 
needed  supply  of  water.  I  can  not  vouch  for 
the  truth  of  this,  as  I  have  never  seen  such  a 
method  resorted  to  for  quenching  thirst.  I  have 
noticed,  while  cutting  up  a  buffalo,  that  there 
seemed  to  me  to  be  a  somewhat  different  in- 
ternal arrangement  from  that  observable  in  a 
bullock.  I  might  say,  too,  that  I  have  never 
used  my  hunting-knife  on  a  buffalo  as  a  means 
of  securing  information,  food  being  the  inva- 
riable object  of  my  search. 


The  smaller  water-courses  of  the  Plains  arc 
mostly  found  to  run  through  deeply-cut  banks. 
This  makes  it  difficult  to  reach  the  water  except 
j  in  occasional  marshy  places,  where  the  mud  is 
I  deep,  and  in  some  places  seemingly  bottomless. 
i  Such  a  stream  is  the  '*  Stinking  Water,"  one  of 
I  the  small  rivers  emptying  into  the  Republican. 
The  name  was  conferred  by  the  Indians,  who 
have  more  than  once  been  forced  to  abandon  a 
campground  on  this  river  on  account  of  the 
oft'ensiveness  of  the  water,  caused  by  the  decay- 
ing carcasses  of  buffalo  that  had  been  mired  in 
the  mud  and  there  died.     At  a  point  where  I 
once  crossed  the  skeletons  of  buffalo  lay  strewn 
about  as  thickly  as  if  the  spot  had  been  used  as 


THE  BUFFALO  RANGE. 


151 


A   U£UD  AMONU   TUB   JiBEAKB. 


an  abattoir.  Will  Comstock  was  sure 
that  it  was  bad  "  medicine"  (luck)  to 
camp  on  the  Stinking  Water,  and  I 
expect  that  some  troopers  who  tarried 
there  once  thought  so  too,  for  those 
among  them  who  drank  the  water  were 
made  decidedly  uncomfortable  by  so 
doing.  Hundreds  of  buffalo  perish 
each  year  in  such  places  as  this  stink- 
ing water,  for  an  accessible  crossing- 
place  is  difficult  to  find,  and  when  dis- 
covered is  almost  invariably  similar 
to  this  crossing  of  the  badly-named 
stream. 

The  character  of  the  Plains  is,  I  find, 
almost  invariably  misunderstood  by 
persons  who  have  not  obtained  any 


152 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


very  particular  information  with  reference  to 
these  vast  oceans  of  land.  It  is  seldom  that 
one  meets  with  any  stretch  of  country  tliat 
might  be  designated  with  any  truth  as  a  prairie. 
Back  from  the  water-courses  the  hind  lies  in 
great  billows,  rising  one  above  the  other  to  a 
crest  known  technically  as  a  "di\ide."  This  is 
simply  the  highest  point  of  land  between  two 
water-courses.  The  "canon"  is  met  with  on  the 
Plains  ;  it  is,  however,  a  term  generally  used  to 
designate  a  pass  or  gulch  in  the  mountains. 
The  breaks  of  the  Plains  will  be  found  to  be 
picturesquely  wonderful. 

In  journeying  north  from  the  Republican  to  the 
Platte  River,  one  must  have  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  country  and  the  trails,  or  he  will  certainly 
find,  when  he  reaches  a  point  within  from  six 
to  ten  miles  of  the  Platte  River,  that  he  is  in  the 
most  broken  country  that  is  to  be  found  on  this 
continent,  without  a  trail  by  which  to  travel. 
The  buffalo  trails  are  the  surest  guides  through 
the  breaks.  Though  they  follow  a  sinuous 
course,  they  are  pretty  certain  to  lead  to  a 
canon  which,  if  followed,  will  bring  you  to  the 
broad  meadows  through  which  the  Platte  has 
its  course. 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  saying 
that  the  country  through  which  the  Platte  flows 
is  all  of  this  conformation,  but  the  Buffalo 
Range  is  as  I  have  described ;  and  a  single 
herd  of  buffalo  will  frequently  occupy  two  or 
three  days  in  moving  through  the  breaks  of  the 
Platte,  traveling  always  by  the  most  favorable 
route. 

The  Indians  seem  well  aware  of  this  fact,  for 
in  moving  their  villages  they  make  use  of  the 
stream -crossings  used  by  the  buffalo^  knowing 
that  by  so  doing  they  travel  by  the  most  con- 
venient route. 

It  seems  to  be  a  very  general  impression  that 
Indians  can  go  to  any  portion  of  the  Plains  by 
a  direct  route.  Unencumbered  with  the  vil- 
lage, a  war  party  will  move  with  grent  rapidity 
and  in  any  direction;  but  to  move  the  village 
is  quite  another  question.    The  tent-poles  must 


be  transported,  and  these  can  only  be  carried  by 
fastening  them  on  each  side  of  the  ponies  and 
permitting  one  end  to  drag.  On  these  ends  the 
Indian  fastens  great  wicker  baskets,  which  serve 
him  for  the  transportation  of  all  manner  of 
things.  With  this  load  The  pony  must  have  a 
good  stream-crossing,  and  such  a  thing  is  not 
frequently  foand  on  some  of  the  rivers  of  the 
Plains. 

Persons  who  have  never  seen  the  vast  herds 
of  buffalo  moving  can  have  but  little  conception 
of  the  almost  irresistible  power  of  such  a  living 
mass,  and  the  difficulty  of  turning  or  breaking 
the  herd  when  once  it  is  in  motion  on  a  certain 
course.  The  countless  thousands  press  forward, 
overwhelming  any  but  the  strongest  barrier. 
Wagons  have  been  overturned  in  this  way,  and 
teamsters  have  saved  themselves  and  the  stock 
only  by  flight. 

An  army  officer  who  with  a  strong  force 
crossed  the  Plains  by  the  Smoky  Hill  route  in 
1865  was  forced  to  "corral"  his  train  of  wagons 
and  order  his  men  to  fire  volleys  into  a  herd 
which  threatened  to  march  over  his  train.  This 
is,  however,  infrequent.  A  party  may  be  on 
the  Plains,  or  even  on  the  Buffalo  Range,  for 
years  and  never  see  it;  still  such  instances  have 
occurred. 

I  have  frequently  been  amused  at  the  calcula- 
tions made  by  wise  old  hunters  whom  one  finds 
on  the  Range.  They  settle  within  a  million  or 
so  the  exact  number  of  buffalo  that  are  yet  wan- 
dering about.  ,  One  old  fellow  is  convinced  that 
there  is  something  like  seventeen  millions,  and 
that  this  is  the  exact  number  required  to  keep 
up  the  present  stock.  The  buffalo  is  certainly 
decreasing  since  1 858.  They  have  been  pressed 
more  than  a  hundred  miles  west  in  Kansas  and 
Nebraska.  They  no  longer  range  up  to  the 
Platte  in  the  great  numbers  that  formerly  vis- 
ited that  stream  ;  and  the  Indians  are  ever 
bringing  forward  the  fact,  in  their  powwows 
with  commissioners  that  soon  the  buffalo  will 
be  gone,  and  the  red  brother  must  keep  peace 
with  the  white  and  eat  his  "  spotted  buffalo" 


iiUKAKlMU   A  UKttU. 


THE  BUFFALO  RAKGE. 


153 


A  BATTLE  FOE  LIFE. 


(Indian  for  domestic  cattle).  I  am  tempted  to 
remark  that  they  do  eat  a  very  considerable 
number  of  spotted  buifalo  that  are  not  procured 
in  a  very  brotherly  way ;  and  no  Indian  is  com- 
plete in  his  outfit  until  he  has  a  cow-skin  (hair 
on)  bow-case  and  arrow-quiver.  If,  as  the  In- 
dian fears — groundlessly,  however,  at  present 
— the  buffalo  will  pass  away,  I  am  at  a  loss 
to  know  what  he  would  do,  for  the  buffalo 
feeds,  clothes,  and  warms  the  nomads.  The 
flesh  being  used  as  food,  either  fresh  or  sun- 
dried.  T!ie  skin  is  used  as  cl  thing,  blanl:ets, 
and,  with  the  hair  removed,  becomes  the  best 
material  out  of  which  to  manufacture  the  tents 
or  "tepes,"  and  the  "6ots  de  vache"  is  as  good 
fuel  as  the  Indian  asks  for.  In  fact,  there  is 
scarcely  a  manufactured  article  that  the  aborig- 
ine uses  but  what  one  may  discover  that  some 
portion  of  the  buffalo  has  been  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  it.  Certainly  the  redskin  must  feel 
something  like  consternation  as  he  sees  the  buf- 
falo become  year  by  year  less  plenty. 

It  is  commonly  supposed  that  it  is  the  white 
man  only  who  kills  and  wastes  buffalo.  I  do 
not  think  that  this  is  entirely  the  case,  as  an 
Indian  is  not  always  particular  about  using  all 
the  meat  that  is  killed.  Buffalo  are  frequently 
killed  by  Indian  war-parties',  who  take  what  may 
be  needed  as  food,  but  the  rest  of  the  carcass 
falls  to  the  lot  of  the  wolves  and  ravens,  that  are 
sure  to  be  ready  to  take  such  leavings  of  the  In- 
dians. Many  of  the  young  buffalo  fall  prey  to 
the  hungry  gray  wolves  and  coyotes,  and  a  sick 
or  wounded  buffalo  is  sui'e  to  have  a  numerous 
body  of  attendant  wolves,  all  ready  to  speed  the 


lame  one  on  until  he  falls  tired  and,  no  longer 
able  to  protect  himself,  an  easy  victim  to  his 
famished  funeral  procession. 

During  the  winter  storms  on  the  Range  the 
wolves  are  frequently  starved  into  bravery ; 
then,  and  not  until  then,  they  attack  the  sol- 
itary bulls  that  wander  from  canon  to  canon  in 
search  of  forage.  It  must  not  be  imagined  that 
the  wolves  partake  of  this  feast  without  a  severe 
fight,  for  the  old  bull  will  fight  furiously,  and 
several  wolves  are  placed  out  of  the  fight  before 
the  bull  is  conquered  and  killed. 

Now  comes  a  verification  of  the  old  adage,  a 
little  changed,  maybe,  but  still  pertinent,  "To 
the  brave  belongs  the  fare"  for  the  big  wolf 
takes  the  first  seat,  and  fails  to  extend  any  in- 
vite to  the  wolves  of  lesser  size  and  pluck,  until 
his  wolfship  has  quite  satisfied  the  cravings  of 
his  starved  system  ;  even  then  the  invite  might 
be  considered  somewhat  doubtful,  as  the  feed- 
ing of  the  smaller  coyote  is  accompanied  by 
occasional  sharp  snaps  from  the  gray  wolves, 
which  have  remained  just  near  enough  to  ren- 
der a  meal  at  the  second  table  a  somewhat  live- 
ly afi^'air. 

That  the  buffalo  is  fast  disappearing  there  is 
certainly  no  reason  to  doubt.  The  Indians  tell 
you  that  the  herds  are  less  numerous ;  the 
"rancher"  vouches  the  same  fact;  the  trader 
has  raised  the  price  of  the  robe  ;  and  many  of 
the  eastern  trails  are  "  mossed  over"  from  dis- 
use. The  Indians  and  buffalo  are  moved  about 
as  far  to  the  west  as  they  can  well  go. 

As  a  usual  thing  if  you  hunt  buffalo  you  may 
consider  the  fact  certain  that  vou  are  in  the  "  In- 


154 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


dian  country,"  and  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
our  aboriginal  nomad  will  kill  his  white  brother 
if  the  opportunity  offered  is  a  good  one.  So 
don't  venture  too  far  from  the  government  post 
or  ranch  without  a  sufficient  escort  to  fight  if 
need  be.  Not  but  what  you  may  go  on  fifty 
buffalo  hunts  without  even  seeing  an  Indian; 
but  don't  tempt  him  too  far,  for  flesh  is  weak, 
and  the  red  baby  must  be  made  familiar  with 
the  different  varieties  of  hair,  and  blonde  tress- 
es are  highly  prized  among  the  tepes. 

Of  the  various  methods  of  hunting  buffalo, 
the  true  sportsman  will  not  hesitate  to  pro- 
nounce in  favor  of  that  usually  adopted  by  our 
cavalry  officers  and  the  best  hunters  among  the 
frontiersmen.  This  is  known  as  "  running  buf- 
falo," in  which,  to  be  successful,  the  hunter  must 
be  a  good  horseman  and  a  cool  and  steady  shot, 
with  either  carbine  or  revolver;  the  revolver 
being  the  preferable  arm  from  its  greater  con- 
venience in  handling.  Your  mount  must  be 
fleet  and  courageous ;  in  fact,  a  "buffalo-horse." 
The  Indians  mark  such  animals  by  a  short  slit 
in  the  top  of  each  ear. 

General  Lander  was,  I  think,  the  best  buffa- 
lo hunter  that  I  ever  saw.  Mounting  an  un- 
saddled pony — a  lariat  served  him  as  bridle — 
he  would  dash  among  a  herd  of  buffalo.  He 
was  the  best  two-handed  shot  that  I  ever  saw, 
his  right  or  left  hand  pistol  being  used  with  like 
result.  Either  meant  meat,  and  the  best  that 
the  herd  afforded.  "  Cow  beef  for  me,"  was  a 
favorite  remark  of  Lander ;  and  if  he  shot  the 
buffalo  the  cow  was  pretty  certainly  young  and 
fat. 


There  is  much  to  be  said  of  what  is  known 
on  the  Range  as  a  "buffalo -horse."  Some 
horses  become  so  frightened  at  the  sight  of  buf- 
falo that  they  become  unmanageable,  and  for 
the  time  the  rider  has  quite  as  much  as  he  can 
attend  to  in  simply  staying  on  the  horse's  back. 
Such  a  horse  can  seldom  be  made  a  good  buffa- 
lo-horse, though  a  good  rider  may  eventually 
use  him  and  kill  buffalo  from  his  back.  A 
dead  buffalo  will  cause  this  horse  to  show  great 
fear. 

Other  horses  may  exhibit  some  little  hesita- 
tion in  running  alongside  of  a  buffalo,  and 
jump  as  the  shot  is  fired,  but  a  little  judicious 
training  will  eventually  bring  them  to  their 
work.  But  your  close-built,  plucky  little  buf- 
falo-horse seems  to  enjoy  the  sport.  Give  him 
the  rein,  and  with  ears  set  back  and  tail  flag- 
ging in  the  air,  he  will  lay  you  alongside  of  your* 
game,  and  with  a  free,  steady  jump  keep  pace 
with  the  buffalo  that  is  loping  along  within  ten 
feet  of  you.  Until  this  moment  your  revolvers 
should  be  in  your  belt,  for  if  you  have  them  in 
your  hands  you  may  cock  them,  and  if  they  are 
cocked  they  frequently  go  off  accidentally,  and 
make  a  fellow-hunter  think  that  he  is  as  likely 
to  be  shot  as  the  buffalo.  The  best  hunters  use 
the  thumb  of  the  hand  in  which  the  pistol  is 
held  to  cock  the  weapon,  the  hammer  being 
raised  as  the  pistol  is  thrown  up.  The  shot  is 
then  fired  almost  instantly,  seldom  with  any  ex- 
act aim,  however;  most  good  hunters  prefer- 
ring to  shoot  as  it  were  by  intuitive  feeling, 
glancing  maybe  along  the  barrel  as  they  draw 
the  trigger. 


THE  BUFFALO  RANGE. 


155 


The  rapid  motion  of  horse  and  game  is  not 
favorable  to  any  steady  aim  by  means  of  the 
sights,  but  the  near  approach  that  you  are  en- 
abled to  gain  by  the  good  conduct  of  your  mount 
affords  an  opportunity  to  deliver  shot  after  shot 
into  the  buffalo  until  you  may  be  sure  of  your 
"meat,"  or  the  buffalo,  refusing  apparently  to 
be  made  further  game  of,  turns,  driven  furious 
by  the  pain  of  the  wounds  that  you  have  given 
him.  This  is  the  moment  for  a  little  calcula- 
tion. If  the  buffalo  is  bleeding  from  nose  and 
mouth  it  is  certain  that  your  shots  have  done 
their  work ;  for  the  buffalo  is  mortally  wound- 
ed, and  needs  no  more  of  your  lead,  and  you  are 
free  to  gallop  on  for  the  next  victim,  following 
up  the  sport  until  your  revolvers  are  emptied, 
or  you  are  satisfied  that  you  have  a  sufficiency 
of  meat. 

I  have  no  idea  of  the  quantity  of  lead  that  a 
buffalo  can  carry  off,  if  the  shots  are  not  well 
placed.  The  vital  point  of  the  buffalo — his 
heart — is  to  be  reached  by  a  shot  fired  from  a 
point  a  little  behind  him,  aiming  just  behind  the 
shoulder-blade,  and  about  two-thirds  down  from 
the  top  of  the  hump.  A  single  revolver-ball 
well  placed  is  quite  sufficient  to  bring  down 
the  stoutest  old  bull.  Some  hunters  have  kill- 
ed as  many  as  eight  or  nine  buffalo  on  a  single 
run.  That  is,  with  the  twelve  loads  contained 
in  their  brace  of  revolvers,  but  this  is  extraor- 
dinary, and  a  thing  of  very  occasional  occur- 
rence, three  or  four  buffalo  being  usually  count- 
ed as  a  first-rate  run. 

A  word  here  with  reference  to  the  arms  used 
in  buffalo  hunting.  Those  who  prefer  a  car- 
bine will  find  the  short  Ballard  or  Spencer  guns 
very  effective,  as  they  shoot  "heavy  lead,"  and 
may  be  used  with  great  rapidity.  The  carbine 
is  frequently  used  without  bringing  it  to  the 
shoulder,  the  piece  being  rested  across  the  sad- 
dle in  front  of  the  hunter,  and  discharged  while 
in  this  position.  This  was  the  old  style  of  hunt- 
ing the  buffalo  when  breech-loaders  were  un- 
known, and  a  short  muzzle-loading  rifle  of  large 
bore  was  used  as  the  best  arm  for  buffalo  hunt- 
ing. With  such  a  weapon  the  hunter  dispensed 
with  a  ramrod,  charging  his  gun  by  simply  pour- 
ing the  powder  into  the  barrel,  and  then  drop- 
ping a  bullet  from  his  mouth  into  the  gun,  and 
sending  the  charge  home  by  striking  the  butt  of 
the  rifle  smartly  on  the  pommel  of  the  saddle. 

Of  the  revolvers  in  use  the  old  style  dragoon 
pistol  of  the  Colt  pattern  seems  the  favorite, 
though  the  bullet  that  it  shoots  is  no  heavier 
than  that  used  in  the  present  style  known  as 
Colt's  army  revolver.  The  pistol  itself  is  heav- 
ier and  more  steady  to  shoot,  and  the  cylinder 
is  chambered  for  more  powder.  I  am  not  aware 
that  this  arm  is  any  longer  manufactured.  The 
Plains  men  who  possess  a  pair  hold  them  in 
great  esteem.  Their  calibre  is  44-lOOths  of  an 
inch.  I  have  found  it  best  in  loading  my  pis- 
tols not  to  rely  upon  the  fixed  ammunition  sup- 
plied for  them,  preferring  to  use  loose  ammuni- 
tion, or  cartridges  made  by  myself.  Then  there 
is  some  certainty  of  the  quantity  of  powder,  and 


a  charge  as  heavy  as  the  weapon  will  con- 
tain. 

It  seems  best  to  speak  thus  explicitly  with 
reference  to  the  description  of  arms  to  be  used, 
!  as  I  have  met  so  many  persons  who  have  gone 
out  on  the  Range  with  too  light  a  carbine  or 
pistol  for  the  game  that  they  purpose  hunting. 
Then,  too,  there  is  no  particular  fun  in  shooting 
into  a  buffalo  a  bullet  that  is  just  sufficiently 
large  to  worry  the  animal  into  turning  on  you, 
and  making  itself  the  hunter  and  you  the  hunt- 
ed. True,  you  may  in  some  measure  avoid  this 
by  dashing  past  the  animal  as  he  pivots  on  those 
stumpy  front  legs,  and  thus  get  a  little  behind 
him  again.  He  may  dash  at  you  as  you  run 
past,  but  quick  movement  will  save  you,  and 
some  one  of  your  little  pellets  may  reach  his 
heart  or  some  other  vital  point ;  but  the  chances 
are  against  the  light  pistol. 

Or  if  the  buffalo  turns  so  quickly  as  to  throw 
you  off  your  guard,  and  your  horse  is  not  right 
up  to  his  work,  the  horse  is  in  some  way 
turned  too ;  then  comes  a  neat  performance 
in  the  shape  of  a  hunter  being  hunted.  The 
horse  is  frightened,  and  away  he  dashes.  Per- 
haps you  are  hunting  over  ground  perforated 
with  the  holes  of  the  prairie-dog.  Your  horse's 
foot  falling  into  one  of  these  would  send  both 
steed  and  rider — how  or  where  is  not  certain. 
I  once  saw  an  army  officer  in  such  a  plight  do 
some  ground  and  lofty  tumbling  that  the  most 
successful  acrobat  would  have  looked  at  Avith 
astonishment. 

A  gentleman  with  whom  I  once  hunted  was 
unceremoniously  turned  upon  by  an  old  bull, 
which  he  had  been  previously  advised  to  leave 
undisturbed,  and  a  most  laughable  scene  was 
the  result  of  the  over-valorous  attempt  to  kill 
tough  meat.  The  couple  were  flying  away  over 
the  Plains,  when  the  hunter,  feeling  that  he  was 
about  to  lose  his  hat,  put  up  his  hand  to  save 
it.  In  the  hand  was  the  cocked  pistol  that  was 
to  have  sounded  the  death -knell  of  the  bull. 
Just  as  the  hand  reached  the  hat  the  pistol  was 
discharged,  and  the  hat  went  in  one  direction 
and  the  pistol  was  thrown  in  the  other.  The 
horse,  startled  by  the  report,  made  a  quick 
movement  which  landed  the  rider  out  of  the 
saddle  into  an  inconvenient  seat  on  the  horse's 
neck.  Things  were  looking  just  a  trifle  serious, 
and  one  of  the  party  started  off,  and  after  a  few 
well-directed  shots  brought  the  bull  down  and 
relieved  the  hunter  from  his  trying  situation. 
I  am  not  aware  that  he  has  hunted  any  more 
old  bulls  since  that  time,  if  he  has  been  on  a 
buffalo  hunt,  which  I  think  extremely  doubtful. 

For  an  old  buftalo  hunter  there  is  no  better 
sport  than  to  go  out  with  a  number  of  tyros  and 
witness  their  first  hunt.  To  be  sure  the  shots 
from  their  carbines  and  revolvers  sometimes 
come  hurtling  past  you.  Will  Comstock  used 
to  remark  at  such  a  time  that  the  safest  place 
was  nearest  the  buffiilo;  but  I  have  never  known 
of  any  person  that  was  the  recipient  of  any  of 
these  wild  shots.  A  hunter  who  is  unused  to 
the  sport,  and  becomes  excited  during  the  run, 


156 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


GO   IT,  DOCTOBI 


will  frequently  shoot  his  horse — how,  I  never 
could  quite  comprehend ;  but  the  revolver  goes 
off,  and  the  horse  has  the  bullet.  The  rider 
loses  his  mount,  gets  no  sympathy,  but  learns 
how  to  bear  jokes  of  all  descriptions.  He  may 
learn,  if  he  will,  "  that  there  is  no  particular 
demand  for  horse-robes  just  at  present,  though 
they  may  come  in  style  if  he  remains  on  the 
Range  for  any  length  of  time." 

I  remember  on  one  occasion  to  have  seen  a 
large  party  leave  a  column  of  cavalry  that  had 
halted  for  rest,  and  start  for  a  herd  near  by. 
A  few  buffalo  were  killed  by  old  hands ;  but  the 
novices  had  a  time  all  of  their  own  with  a  buf- 
falo that  had  separated  from  the  herd.  Round 
and  round  the  point  where  the  command  was 
halted  was  the  buffalo  hurried ;  shot  after  shot 


was  discharged  at  him,  until  the  excitement  was 
too  great  for  one  of  the  wagon -masters,  who 
mounted  his  mule  and  galloped  after  the  flying 
chase.  Two  quick  shots  from  his  revolver  and 
the  buffalo  fell.  In  a  moment  the  spot  was 
crowded  with  horsemen  armed  with  empty  re- 
volvers. "  How  many  shots  in  him  ?"  "  What 
a  lot  of  lead  he  could  nm  with!"  "He  must 
have  had  an  accident -insurance  policy!"  and 
divers  other  like  exclamations  were  heard.  I 
will  simply  remark  that  two  shots  were  all  that 
the  closest  examination  by  a  score  or  more  pair 
of  eyes  could  discover  in  that  buffalo,  and  who 
fired  those  shots  was  never  quite  determined,  as 
the  wagon-master  failed  to  claim  his  shots.  But 
some  of  those  who  assisted  in  frightening  that 
buffalo  on  that  occasion  have  since  become  good 


THE  BUFFALO  RANGE. 


157 


hunters  and  successful  shots ;  but  they  do  not 
now  shoot  at  a  buffalo  when  he  is  running  quite 
fifty  yards  distant  from  them. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  a  person  can 
ride  directly  into  a  herd  of  buffalo  without  dan- 
ger. In  your  excitement  the  horse  may  stum- 
ble and  fall;  or,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  you 
may,  before  you  are  aware,  ride  into  a  dog  vil- 
lage, and  the  wide,  deep  holes  that  are  to  be 
seen  in  almost  every  square  yard  are  traps  that 
it  is  impossible  to  avoid  entirely.  I  have  seen 
several  instances  of  this  kind,  and  horses  have 
been  killed  or  disabled,  and  the  riders  severely 
bruised. 

The  buffalo,  too,  is  sometimes  known  to  turn 
with  a  surprising  quickness  of  movement ;  and 
woe  betide  the  hunter  who  is  not  instantly  be- 
yond the  reach  of  those  short,  sharp  horns. 
Then,  too,  you  may  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that 
a  wounded  bull  is  not  as  safe  a  companion  as 
you  might  select  if  you  had  a  choice. 

I  have  seen  old  hunters,  who  were  excellent 
horsemen,  kill  buffalo  with  lances  somewhat 
similar  to  those  used  by  the  Indians ;  but  this 
has  been  more  for  bravado  than  as  a  favorite 
style  of  hunting.  To  lance  a  buffalo  the  hunt- 
er must  have  a  horse  that  has  no  fear  of  the 
buffklo,  and  is  thoroughly  trained  as  a  buffalo- 
horse — a  "split  ear,"  if  possible,  for  his  Indian 
education  is  then  of  service  to  you. 

What  is  known  as  still  hunting  is  a  favorite 
mode  of  hunting  practiced  by  those  who  do  not 
hunt  so  much  for  the  sport  as  for  the  meat,  and 
desire  also  to  save  their  ponies  for  other  work 
than  running  bufflalo.  Some  of  the  colored  in- 
fantry troops  on  the  Plains  are  quite  successful 
in  this  kind  of  hunting,  which  is  merely  to  gain 
a  position  as  near  the  herd  as  possible,  taking 
care  to  keep  well  concealed  from  the  vigilant 
eyes  of  the  watchful  pickets  of  the  herd  ;  then, 
selecting  the  buffxilo,  crack  away  with  a  long 
m»sket,  which  you  will  find  the  best  arm  for 
this  kind  of  hunting.  If  you  are  careful,  three 
or  four  buffalo,  and  sometimes  many  more,  may 
be  secured  before  the  herd  moves  off*. 

This  is  regarded  by  many  Plains  men  as  a 
kind  of  pot-hunting,  that  is  not  entitled  to  the 
name  of  sport,  and  only  to  be  resorted  to  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  the  meat  needed  as 
food.  I  must  say,  however,  that  the  skill  dis- 
played by  some  of  the  colored  soldiers,  as  they 
approach  a  feeding  herd  and  single  out  their 
game,  is  worthy  to  be  classed  as  the  work  of 
good  hunters.  These  same  sable  warriors  make 
good  antelope  hunters  too. 

The  principal  food  of  the  buffiilo  is  a  short, 
fine  grass  that  grows  in  tufts,  and  only  to  the 
height  of  four  or  five  inches.  T«his,  it  would 
seem,  is  very  nutritious,  for  domestic  cattle  fat- 
ten on  the  "  buffiilo  grass"  even  during  some  of 
the  winter  months.  On  the  bottoms  or  low- 
lands, through  which  the  water -coui-ses  flow, 
there  is  found  a  taller  growth  of  grass  that 
grows  rank  and  coarse.  Somewhat  similar  to 
this  is  the  forage  found  in  the  canons  among 
the  breaks. 


At  first  sight  the  short,  fine  buffalo  grass 
seems  but  a  scanty  forage  for  the  vast  herds ; 
but  close  examination  will  reveal  the  fact  that 
grazing  on  it  will  be  full  and  abundant.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  months  the  color  of  this  grass 
is  a  greenish  gray;  as  autumn  approaches  it  be- 
comes more  brown  in  its  tint ;  but  late  fall  and 
winter  spreads  a  mantle  of  gray,  with  a  just 
perceptible  tint  of  blue,  that  is  in  pleasant  har- 
mony with  the  delicate  skies  of  the  Range. 

Grass  that  has  been  thoroughly  fed  over  or 
burned  off"  is  the  first  to  spring  up  the  next  year. 
During  April  and  May  bright  green  grass  marks 
the  ground  that  has  been  burned  over  during  the 
previous  fall.  The  Indians,  taking  advantage 
of  favorable  winds,  will  burn  thousands  of  acres 
of  grass  each  fall,  knowing  full  well  that  this 
will  make  a  hunting-ground  during  the  next 
spring,  and  at  the  same  time  afford  the  forage 
that  will  be  greatly  needed  by  their  ponies. 

Buffalo  are  in  the  best  condition  during  the 
fall,  sj)ring  time  being  a  rather  unfavorable  pe- 
riod of  the  year  to  look  for  fat  bison.  The  In- 
dians have  a  number  of  ways  of  designating  the 
months  or  moons  of  the  year.  They  have  "  fat 
buffalo  moon,"  "  thin  buffalo  moon,"  "  the  moon 
in  which  to  find  the  buffalo  with  much  hair," 
"  the  moon  when  the  hair  is  gone."  But  I  will 
not  go  through  with  the  calendar,  for  Indians 
use  all  manner  of  things  by  which  to  designate 
and  remember  the  great  changing  luminary  of 
the  night,  which  so  frequently  affords  light  for 
depredations  that  they  fear  to  commit  during 
the  day. 

In  hunting  buffalo  the  Indian  is  not  particu- 
lar in  his  selection.  If  the  animal  is  old  and 
tough,  his  hide  will  make  many  articles  that  a 
thin  skin  would  be  unfit  for :  soles  for  mocca- 
sins, shields,  etc.  The  sinews  are  larger  and 
stronger,  which  fact  makes  them  useful  for  in- 
numerable purposes  that  are  best  known  to  the 
squaAvs  who  collect  and  use  them.  Give  a 
squaw  time  and  a  raven  would  starve  on  the 
leavings  that  he  could  find  on  the  spot  where 
the  buffklo  had  been  killed,  so  thorough  is  the 
removal  of  every  particle  of  nutritious  matter. 

The  Indian  prefers  as  food  the  flesh  of  a 
young  cow;  he  will  eat  the  oldest  bull,  how- 
ever ;  and  an  unborn  calf  is  a  feast  to  the  red- 
skin. The  hide  of  this  very  young  buff'alo  bal-y 
is  greatly  prized  by  the  Indians,  and  frequently 
used,  when  nicely  tanned,  as  one  of  the  articles 
of  wearing  apparel  with  which  a  show  may  be 
made.  A  hunting  party  of  twenty  or  thirty  In- 
dians will  frequently  kill  more  buffalo  during 
one  day  than  the  squaws  of  the  band  are  able 
to  skin  and  strip  in  two  days ;  for  the  squaws 
do  nearly  if  not  all  of  the  actual  labor  that  In- 
dians find  necessary ;  and,  to  say  the  truth,  aji 
Indian  squaw  will  accomplish  an  amount  of  la- 
bor that  is  surprising,  and  do  it  well  too. 

Hunting  buffalo  is  to  the  Indian  a  labor  rath- 
er than  a  pastime ;  so  he  kills  the  animal,  and 
leaves  the  labor  of  cutting  out  the  meat,  curing 
the  skin,  etc.,  to  the  women.  He  prefers  the 
easiest  mode  of  killing  the  buff'alo,  and  regards 


158 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


hunting  them  on  snow-shoes  as  one  of  the  best 
methods  of  securing  his  quarry.  The  number 
of  buffalo  that  may  be  killed  in  this  way,  even 
by  a  small  party  of  Indians,  would  supply  a  con- 
siderable band  of  Indians  with  food  for  Aveeks, 
maybe  months;  for  there  would  seem  to  be 
hardly  a  limit  to  the  number  of  buffalo  that 
could  be  slaughtered. 

When  the  snows  are  deepest  on  the  Range, 
which  is  most  generally  during  January  and 
February,  the  top  of  the  snow  will  be  melted  by 
the  noonday  sun.  This  melting  ceases  as  the 
afternoon  comes  on,  and  by  nightfall  the  cold 
winds  have  frozen  a  crust  over  the  snow,  which 
crust  is  sometimes  sufficiently  thick  and  strong 
to  support  the  weight  of  a  man.  Provided  with 
the  broad  snow-shoe,  or,  as  they  are  sometimes 
termed,  "rackets,"  the  Indian  will  move  over 
the  frozen  crust  quite  rapidly,  and  entirely  with- 
out danger  of  breaking  through.  With  the 
buffalo  things  are  somewhat  different ;  to  him 
the  deep  snow  is  bad  enough,  but  a  thick  crust 
is  still  worse,  as  it  not  only  impedes  progress, 
but  renders  it  painful  as  well,  the  crust  being 
sharp  almost  as  a  knife-blade.  All  of  this  is 
well  known  to  the  Indian,  and  is  at  the  same 
time  a  source  of  profit,  for  he  loses  no  time  when 
near  a  herd  of  buffalo  thus  embarrassed  by  the 
crust,  but  starts  out  on  his  snow-shoes,  and, 
with  arrow  and  spear,  makes  game  of  the  trou- 
bled bison.  An  Indian  on  snow-shoes  has  the 
buffalo  herd  at  a  great  disadvantage,  unless  the 
herd  be  a  very  large  one ;  then  a  solid  path  is 
beaten  which  will  be  kept  by  the  main  herd, 
which  in  this  manner  is  enabled  to  escape.  At 
such  a  time  it  is  the  scattered  members  of  the 
band  that  are  the  victims;  and  it  is  to  these 
that  the  Indians  devote  their  entire  attention. 
This  mode  of  hunting  the  buffalo  is  principally 


practiced  by  the  northern  bands  of  Sioux  and 
other  Indians  whose  range  is  well  to  the  north 
of  the  true  hunting-ground. 

Buffalo  are  to  be  found  as  high  as  latitude 
fifty,  and  as  low  as  thirty.  To  the  east  the 
settlements  form  a  boundary,  and  to  the  west 
the  foot-hills  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  This 
embraces  an  area  of  many  thousands  of  square 
miles.  But,  as  I  have  previously  stated,  the 
best  hunting  on  the  Range  is  to  be  found  be- 
tween the  Platte  and  Arkansas  rivers.  Here  I 
have  seen  the  Indians  have  recourse  to  another 
method  of  slaughtering  buffalo,  in  a  very  easy, 
but  to  me  cruel,  way,  for  where  one  buffalo  is 
killed  several  are  sure  to  be  painfully  injured ; 
but  these,  too,  are  soon  killed  by  the  Indians, 
who  make  haste  to  lance  or  shoot  the  cripples. 

The  mode  of  hunting  is  somewhat  as  follows : 
A  herd  is  discovered  grazing  on  the  table-lands. 
Being  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  country, 
the  Indians  are  aware  of  the  location  of  the 
nearest  point  where  the  table-land  is  broken 
abruptly  by  a  precipice  which  descends  a  hun- 
dred or  more  feet.  Toward  this  "devil  jump" 
the  Indians  head  the  herd,  which  is  at  once 
driven  pell-mell  to  and  over  the  precipice. 
Meanwhile  a  number  of  Indians  have  taken 
their  way,  by  means  of  routes  known  to  them, 
and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  canon,  through 
which  the  crippled  buffalo  are  running  in  all 
directions.  These  are  quickly  killed,  so  that 
out  of  a  very  considerable  band  of  buffalo  but 
few  escape,'  many  having  been  killed  by  the 
fall,  and  others  dispatched  while  limping  off. 
This  mode  of  hunting  is  sometimes  indulged  in 
by  harum-scarum  white  men;  but  it  is  done 
more  for  deviltry  than  any  thing  else.  I  have 
never  known  of  its  practice  by  army  officers,  or 
persons  who  professed  to  hunt  buffalo  as  a  sport. 


INDIANS  UUNTING   liUFFALO   IN   THE  SNOW, 


THE  BUFFALO  RANGE. 


ir>9 


Some  time  since  some  enterprising  individual 
became  imbued  with  the  idea  that  one  of  the 
vast  herds  of  buffalo — say  a  thousand  or  so — 
might  be  driven  eastward  until  near  the  Mis- 
souri River,  when  the  herd  was  to  be  made  to 
enter  a  strong  stockade  that  should  be  arranged 
for  their  reception.  Then,  as  he  expressed  it, 
they  were  to  be  beefed  and  sent  East,  or  put  into 
cattle-cars,  and  killed  after  they  had  arrived  in 
the  Eastern  cities.  The  exact  number  of  men 
that  would  be  necessary  for  the  accomplishment 
of  this  neat  drover  performance  was  not  defin- 
itely stated,  but  the  party  did  not  think  that  it 
would  take  many  "fellers,''  if  the  boys  were 
only  up  to  the  mark.  Fancy  this  idea  practi- 
cable, what  a  lively  entertainment  would  be 
the  result  of  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  a  beef- 
butcher  to  act  as  executioner  of  a  stout  old  buf- 
falo bull !  Young  America  could  have  a  buf- 
falo hunt  in  a  Communipaw  stock -yard,  and 
the  Board  of  Health  might  take  advantage  of 
the  opportunity  thus  afforded  to  discover  the  ef- 
fect of  the  cattle  disease  on  bison. 

Governor  Gilpin,  of  Colorado,  once  suggested 
that  a  very  sure  way  of  keeping  the  Indians  off 
the  Smoky  Hill  route  would  be  to  drive  all  the 
buftalo  to  the  north  of  the  Platte  River,  and 
then  station  guards  to  keep  them  there.  I  told 
the  Governor  that  when  this  was  done  I  should 
surely  be  on  hand  to  secure  a  sketch  of  the  per- 
fonnance.     It  has  not  been  done  as  yet. 

A  question  frequently  propounded  to  a  per- 
son returned  to  the  East  after  a  journey  to  and 
over  the  Buffalo  Range  is.  Did  you  see  a  white 
buffalo?  In  my  experience  I  have  seen  but 
one,  and  then,  being  mounted  upon  a  pony  tired 
from  much  travel  and  a  somewhat  long  run, 
failed  to  secure  a  position  sufficiently  near  the 
animal  to  make  any  sure  shot,  but  a  white  buf- 
falo it  certainly  was.  I  have  met  persons  who 
have  seen  white  buffalo,  but  never  yet  with  a 
party  who  has  succeeded  in  killing  a  white 
bison ;  neither  have  I  ever  seen  a  white  buffalo- 
skin. 

Th'e  Indians  regard  the  possession  of  a  Avhite 
buffalo-robe  as  "  good  medicine"  for  the  tribe  ; 
but  they  do  not  carry  them  about  during  their 
wanderings  over  the  Plains.  The  reason  for 
this  I  am  not  aware  of;  but  from  the  best  in- 
formation that  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  I 
believe  that  the  Indians  cache  or  hide  the  skin 


in  some  unfrequented  place,  and  only  resort  to 
it  for  the  purpose  of  "making  medicine,"  or 
some  other  mummery  in  which  the  white  robe 
is  thought  to  be  of  great  and  important  assist- 
ance. 

Some  persons  have  suggested  that  the  white 
robe  and  white  buffalo  were  things  of  the  purest 
imagination,  or  at  best  only  old  bulls  that  had 
been  wallowing  in  some  alkali  bottom  and  thus 
coated  their  hides  with  a  whitish  earth,  which 
at  a  distance  might  easily  cause  them  to  be  mis- 
taken for  white  buffalo.  I  saw  my  snow-backed 
friend  during  that  part  of  the  season  when  the 
buffalo  is  not  much  addicted  to  wallowing,  so 
still  adhere  to  my  belief  in  the  existence  of  at 
least  one  white  buffalo. 

I  have  frequently  noticed  the  statement  pub- 
lished that  buffaloes  made  their  wallows  in 
marshy  places,  and  made  pilgrimages  to  such 
locality  for  the  purpose  of  indulging  themselves 
in  an  occasional  roll.  This  may  all  be,  but  for 
one  wallow  found  on  the  lowlands  you  will  find 
twenty  on  the  rolling  Plains,  far  from  water  and 
high  above  any  thing  damp,  unless  it  be  rain. 
These  wallows  may  be  well  described  by  stating 
that  they  seem  as  if  huge  saucers  of  eight  or 
ten  feet  in  diameter  had  been  used  as  moulds, 
and  the  impress  had  been  secured  by  pressing 
them  into  the  earth.  On  every  hand  you  will 
note  these  basins  in  the  earth,  and  during  the 
spring  time  you  may  frequently  notice  the  buf- 
falo pawing  or  wallowing  in  these  spots.  At 
times  he  will  throw  himself  on  his  back,  and 
seeming  to  juvot  on  his  hump,  he  will  "  wabble" 
and  kick  for  some  moments.  By  many  the 
buffalo  is  supposed  to  have  recourse  to  this  per- 


160 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


fortnance  as  a  means  of  securing  some  relief 
from  the  vermin  with  which  he  is  at  times  sore- 
ly afflicted,  for,  they  sa}',  you  see  that  he  does  it 
when  he  can  get  mud  after  a  ruin,  and  thus 
cover  his  hide  with  earth.  Very  true ;  but  I 
have  noticed  them  at  this  performance  when 
there  was  only  dust  in  the  wallow,  and  very  dry 
dust  too.  My  idea  is  that  the  chief  reason  for 
the  wallow  is  ihat  the  buffalo  finds  it  necessary 
to  assist  the  shedding  of  the  hair  which  he  loses 
during  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  each 
year,  and  that  he  has  recourse  to  the  wallows 
for  this  purpose  almost  entirely.  You  will  not, 
indeed,  find  much  hair  in  the  wallows.  The 
strong  afternoon  wind  of  the  Plains  would  quick- 
ly blow  this  away ;  but  kill  a  buffalo  early  in 
the  summer,  when  the  hair  only  hangs  to  the 
flanks  in  short  tufts,  and  you  will  find  that  he 
has  dusted  these  tufts,  and  his  whole  skin  for 
that  matter,  with  a  liberal  coat  of  fine  earth. 

The  Plains  man  is  familiar  with  another  use 
which  may  be  made  of  the  buffalo  wallow.  It 
is  to  him  an  earth-work,  from  which  a  desperate 
and  frequently  successful  resistance  may  be 
made  against  a  numerous  party  of  Indians. 

I  remember  one  wallow  that  my  attention 
was  attracted  to  by  noticing  that  there  had 
been  a  track  beaten  about  the  wallow  by  the 
unshod  hoofs  of  Indian  ponies ;  a  ti-ack  circling 
the  wallow  at  a  distance  of  nearly  two  hundred 
yards  from  it,  that  was  as  plain  as  a  beaten 
road.  The  ground  near  the  wallow  was  strewn 
with  arrows.  The  whole  story  seemed  to  be 
told  by  the  four  piles  of  exploded  rifle-caps 


that  were  found  at  different  points  in  the  wal- 
low. 

November  and  December  are  the  months  dur- 
ing which  to  find  the  buffalo  wearing  the  most 
expensive  clothes ;  his  robe  during  these  months 
is  at  its  best.  All  of  which  the  Indian  is  quite 
as  well  aware  of  as  the  trader,  and  hunting  is 
brisk  and  work  plenty  with  every  band  of  red- 
skins on  the  Range ;  food  may  be  an  incentive 
too,  but  the  robe  is  certainly  a  prime  object  for 
the  energetic  hunting  that  the  Indian  does  at 
this  season  of  the  twelvemonth. 

The  squaws  are  busy  with  their  work  of  cur- 
ing the  robes  and  jerking  the  meat.  The  hard 
and  incessant  labor  that  is  necessary  to  proper- 
ly "  Indian  tan"  a  robe  is  not  easy  to  realize 
unless  one  may  see  the  work  go  on  day  by  day 
from  the  first  step,  which  is  to  spread  out  the 
pelt  or  undressed  hide  upon  the  ground,  where 
it  is  pinned  fast  by  means  of  wooden  pins  driv- 
en through  little  cuts  in  the  edge  of  the  robe 
into  the  earth.  The  flesh  side  of  the  robe,  be- 
ing uppermost,  is  then  Morked  over  by  two,  and 
sometimes  three,  squaws.  The  tools  used  are 
often  very  rude,  some  being  provided  simply 
with  sharp  stones  or  buffalo  bones.  Others, 
more  wealthy,  have  a  something  that  much 
resembles  the  drawing-knife  or  shave  of  the 
cooper.  The  work  in  hand  is  to  free  the  hide 
from  every  particle  of  flesh,  and  to  reduce  the 
thickness  of  the  robe  nearly  one-half,  and  some- 
times even  more.  This  fleshing,  as  it  is  term- 
ed, having  been  satisfactorily  accomplished,  the 
hide   is    thoroughly  moistened  with  water  in 


b(J0AW8  CUHINQ   BOBEB. 


THE  BUFFALO  RANGE. 


IGl 


teadee's  camp. 


which  buffalo  brains  have  been  steeped;  for 
ten  days  the  hide  is  kept  damp  with  this  brain- 
water.  Once  each  day  the  hide  is  taken  up, 
and  every  portion  of  it  rubbed  and  rerubbed 
by  the  squaws,  who  do  not  have  recourse  to 
any  thing  like  a  rubbing-board,  but  use  their 
hands  until  it  would  seem  as  if  the  skin  would 
soon  be  torn  off.  There  seems  to  be  no  defin- 
ite rule  as  to  the  length  of  time  which  the  robe 
shall  occupy  in  curing.  The  squaw  labors  un- 
til the  hide  becomes  a  robe,  which  may  requii-e 
the  work  of  one  week  or  two,  sometimes  even 
more ;  but  I  think  that  ten  days  may  be  con- 
sidered as  the  average  time  which  it  takes  to 
properly  cure  a  robe. 

I  have  not  the  space  here  to  go  into  a  lengthy 
account  of  the  different  modes  of  dressing  the 
skins  which  the  Indians  use  for  tents  (tq)es) 
and  clothing.  Some  skins  from  which  the  hair 
lias  been  removed  are  as  white  as  the  paper  on 
which  this  article  is  printed. 

The  painting  and  decorating  of  a  robe  is  the 
work  of  much  time,  and  for  the  extremely  rude 
materials  employed  by  the  squaws  in  the  work 
a  result  is  attained  which  is  highly  creditable 
to  the  uneducated  and  somewhat  savage  wives 
and  daughters  of  "Nasty  Elk,"  or  whatever 
euphonious  tei*m  the  master  of  the  lodge  may 
see  fit  to  designate  himself  by.  But  this  work 
increases  the  price  of  a  robe,  and  is  generally 
only  expended  upon  a  robe  that  is  to  be  used 
in  the  family,  and  not  as  a  means  of  obtaining 
sugar,  coffee,  calico,  and  other  coveted  articles 
which  are  of  use  to  the  Indian,  and  serve  as 
Vol.  XXX-^ail.-No.  224.— 11 


an  indication  of  wealth  on  the  part  of  the  pos- 
sessor, who  takes  care  to  make  great  parade 
of  all  such  articles  as  may  be  likely  to  ex- 
cite the  envy  of  the  habitants  of  neighboring 
tepes. 

In  "old  times,"  said  Colonel  Saint  Vrain 
to  me  when  I  last  saw  him  at  the  little  New 
Mexican  pueblito  of  Mora,  "the  Indians  came 
to  the  posts  when  they  had  any  trading  to  do ; 
camped  near  by,  and  did  their  trading ;  settled 
little  disputes  among  themselves  ;  had  pon}'- 
races  with  the  mountaineers  that  had  come  in 
with  pelts,  and  a  sort  of  good  time  generally. 
If  you  could  have  seen  the  old  trading  post  that 
stood  where  Bent's  Old  Fort  now  stands,  on 
one  of  these  trading  visits,  you  would  have  seen 
a  sight  worth  remembering.  We  did  not  let 
many  Indians  into  the  fort  at  a  time,  and  those 
who  were  in  had  to  exhibit  good  behavior  or 
none  at  all.  There  have  been  more  than  forty 
thousand  robes  sent  out  from  that  post  as  the 
result  of  one  year's  work.  There  was  money 
in  the  trade  then,  but  now —  Well,  there's 
but  few  of  the  traders  who  go  out  to  the  villages 
with  an  outfit  but  what  might  have  found  quite 
as  good  employment  for  themselves  in  some 
other  line  of  business." 

The  Colonel's  stories  of  the  wild  scenes  of 
gambling  that  the  Indians  indulged  in  at  their 
villages  near  the  post,  and  the  "  nice  row"  they 
would  occasionally  kick  up  among  themselves, 
certainly  indicate  that  there  must  have  been  a 
much  more  plenteous  supply  of  whisky  within 
the  reach  of  the  Indians  than  there  is  at  the 


IG2 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


present  time  when  a  trading  outfit  goes  into 
camp  in  an  Indian  village. 

Then  the  white  men  were  the  masters  of  the 
situation;  now  it  would  seem  that  the  Indian 
has  quite  the  first  voice  in  the  trade.  Not  a 
comfortable  thing  for  the  trader;  but  how  is 
the  individual  to  help  himself  after  he  has  will- 
ingly placed  his  outfit  in  the  midst  of  an  Indian 
encampment,  situated  maybe  many  miles  from 
any  post  or  fort  ?  I  fear  that  the  too  shrewd, 
driving  Yankee  outwitted  himself  when  he 
thought  to  take  to  himself  the  cream  of  the 
trade  by  proceeding  directly  to  the  Indian  vil- 
lages with  trading  goods,  rather  than  to  await 
the  coming  of  the  Indians  to  the  neighborhood 
of  a  trading  post  or  government  fort. 

A  first-rate  trading  outfit  consists  of  four  or 
five  large  wagons,  each  with  a  four  or  six  mule 
team.  The  wagons  are  loaded  with  blankets, 
cloths  of  ditFerent  descriptions,  calico,  flannel, 
flour,  sugar,  cofl'ee,  trinkets  of  all  kinds — such 
as  beads,  small  mirrors,  square  plates  of  Ger- 
man-silver, and  the  like.  To  enumerate  the 
stock  of  the  Indian  trader  I  should  be  forced 
to  go  into  a  Ipng  disquisition  showing  what 
possible  use  could  be  made  of  many  of  the  ar- 
ticles comprised  in  the  outfit.  Sometimes  the 
trader  carries  his  own  tent,  but  more  often  he 
depends  upon  the  hospitality  of  the  Indians. 

The  party  will  consist  of  five  or  six  men,  of 
these  two  must  understand  the  language  of  the 
band  that  is  to  be  traded  with,  and  if  possible 
the  whole  party  is  previoixsly  well  known  to  the 
head  chief  of  the  band.  Upon  the  arrival  of 
the  trader  at  the  Indian  village  the  chief  as- 
signs him  a  tepe,  which  he  may  make  his 
abiding-place.  This  would  seem  an  act  of 
kindness  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Big  Injun,  but — 
Well,  the  trader  has  a  tent  to  call  his  quarters, 


and  the  privilege  of  feeding  probably  the  largest 
family  which  the  village  contains. 

I  must  dwell  just  a  little  on  this  family  joke. 
All  the  food  which  the  trader  has  is  expected 
to  be  shared  by  this  family.  The  quantity  of 
bread  and  other  white-man  food  which  is  de- 
voured by  this  family  may  be  said  to  gnaw  a 
large  hole  into  the  profits  of  the  trip.  Next, 
Indians  flock  to  the  trader  to  tell  him  that  they 
have  "  a  heap  of  mighty  fine  robes,"  but  they 
want  to  see  some  of  the  trader's  stock  to  dis- 
cover whether  it  is  good  before  they  can  trade 
with  him.  This  means  presents.  The  chiefs 
must  have  something  in  the  way  of  presents 
too,  and  not  a  small  something  either.  The 
old  women  are,  to  use  the  language  of  an  old 
Indian  trader,  "  the  loudest  beings  on  a  beg  that 
ever  stood  on  leather."  But  this  is  not  the 
end  of  give  and  take ;  the  evening  folloAving 
the  arrival  of  a  trader  in  the  village  is  almost 
sure  to  be  a  season  devoted  to  the  execution 
of  a  performance  known  as  a  "  begging  dance." 
This  is  certain  to  make  a  somewhat  heavy  draft 
on  the  trading  goods ;  and  this  is  not  all,  for  a 
continual  and  persistent  beg  is  kept  up  during 
the  entire  stay  of  the  trader  in  the  village  or  in 
its  vicinity. 

I  have  taken  pains  to  state  thus  particularly 
the  drain  which  the  trader's  stock  must  meet 
before  trading  opens,  that  it  may  not  seem  that 
the  trader  got  "too  much  robe  for  too  little 
sug"  (sugar),  as  the  Indian  will  always  aver. 

The  currency  used  in  Indian  trading  is  much 
like  this : 

10  cnps  of  sugar  make  cue  robe. 
10  robes  make  one  pony. 
3  ponies  make  one  tepe. 

A  ten-dollar  bill  is  also  a  "  robe  ;"  but,  as  may 
be  supposed,  as  it  takes  but  seven  pounds  of  su- 


THB  BOBE  PBUBi*. 


THE  BUFFALO  RANGE. 


1G3 


gar  to  fill  the  trading  cup  ten  times,  the  trader 
quite  prefers  his  cups,  temperate  man  though  he 
may  be.  With  such  a  standard  it  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  see  how  trade  is  carried  on.  Ten  cups 
is  not  the  invariable  price  for  a  robe.  Some 
rebes  will  command  more  than  ten  cups'  worth 
of  calico,  and  some  may  bring  but  five  cups' 
value  of  any  desired  article. 

As  the  robes  are  secured  the  trader  has  them 
arranged  in  lots  of  ten  each,  with  but  little  re- 
gard for  quality  other  than  some  care  that  par- 
ticularly fine  robes  do  not  go  too  many  in  one 
lot.  These  piles  are  then  pressed  into  a  com- 
pact bale,"  by  means  of  a  rudely  constructed  af- 
fair composed  of  saplings  and  a  chain.  The 
trader  does  not  leave  the  village  while  there  is 
a  skin  to  be  traded  for,  or  until  his  goods  are 
exhausted.  T  have  simply  referred  to  the  trad- 
ing for  bnfFalo-robes  as  this  is  supposed  to  be  a 
buffalo  article,  but  traders  will,  as  a  rule,  pick 
up  all  manner  of  things — horses  (sometimes 
branded  U.  S.),  mules,  cattle,  white  prisoners, 
etc.,  etc. 

That  there  may  be  found  among  the  adven- 
turous men  who  seek  their  fortunes  in  this  not 
entirely  safe  business  persons  who  seemingly 
would  sell  their  souls  for  a  consideration  I  have 
no  doubt.  I  have  not  met  them.  On  the  con- 
trary, some  of  the  best  men  on  the  frontier  are 
Indian  traders,  and  these  will  show  you  that  it 
is  not  only  unwise  to  sell  whisky,  fire-arms,  and 
ammunition  to  the  Indians,  but  it  is  absolutely 
unprofitable,  and  not,  as  a  usual  thing,  put  up 
for  "the  outfit." 

Of  the  diff'erent  robes  the  Comanche  is  per- 
haps the  best  in  its  dressing,  but  the  fur  is  not 
likely  to  be  so  good  as  that  of  the  Sioux  dressed 
robe.  The  only  way  of  accounting  for  this 
is  the  fact  of  climate,  the  Comanche  being  a  I 
southern  Indian,  and  the  Sioux  ranging  far  to 
the  north.  The  Sioux  robe  is  not,  however,  so 
well  dressed  as  either  the  Comancho  or  Kiowa 
robes.  What  is  known  as  the  split  robe — that 
is,  a  robe  which  has  been  divided  in  two  parts 
and  is  sewn  together  after  it  has  been  dressed 


— is  uncommon  among  the  southern  Indians, 
but  frequently  met  with  in  trading  with  the 
Sioux. 

-  We  will  leave  the  Range  with  the  trading 
outfit,  and  note  as  day  by  day  we  journey  east- 
ward how  the  grim  white  skulls  which  but  a 
few  days  since  dotted  the  Plains  so  thickly  are 
less  seldom  seen ;  chips  (hois  de  varJiej  are 
scarcer  ;  the  trails  fewer  and  not  freshly  mark- 
ed with  the  thousands  of  sharp  hoofs  that  but  a 
few  years  since  cut  them  out  deep  and  strong, 
to  mark  where  the  Range  was  but  is  now  no 
longer. 

The  outfit  is  in  the  settlements.  The  ques- 
tion is,  how  to  dispose  of  the  furs  ?  The  two 
great  gatherers  or  collectors  of  buffalo-robes  are 
Charles  Bates,  of  St.  Louis,  and  Durfree,  of 
Leavenworth.  Their  combined  collections  dur- 
ing a  single  year  have  amounted  to  over  two 
hundred  thousand  robes  ;  and  the  entire  stock 
collected  may  be  said  to  reach,  during  good 
years,  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  skins ; 
of  these  two-thirds  are  said  to  find  their  way  to 
the  New  York  market,  where  they  are  classed 
as  first,  second,  third,  and  calf.  jAt  present  the 
prices  paid  by  large  dealers  in  New  York,  who 
buy  by  the  hundred  bales,  is  something  like 
$16  50,  $12  50,  $8  50,  this  being  the  prices 
for  first,  second,  and  third  rate  skins.  Calf- 
skins bring  from  $3  50  to  $4,  and  are  not  much 
dealt  in.  The  great  collectors  are  said  to  hold 
their  robes  for  the  market  sometimes  as  long  as 
three  or  four  years,  this  being  done  when  the 
market  does  not  range  to  suit  them,  though 
one  would  think  that  controlling  the  trade  as 
they  do  they  might  dictate  the  prices  of  the 
robe.  A  few  untanned  robes  are  sent  to  New 
York  from  Texas,  but  there  is  no  particular 
price  demanded  or  paid  for  them ;  in  fact,  I  do 
not  think  that  they  are  mentioned  in  the  fur 
market. 

Think,  as  you  tuck  the  warm  robe  about  you 
for  your  joyous  sleigh-ride,  this  winter  skin  of 
the  bison  was  once  the  very  best  clothes  of  a 
roamer  over  "the  Buffalo  Range." 


TUB  BKULL. 


164 


HARPER'S  NEW  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE. 


PAUL  DU  CHAILLU  AGAIN.* 


LYING   LOW   FOB  ELEPHANTS. 


NINE  months  ago,  that  is  in  April,  1868,  we 
had  something  to  say  touching  our  friend 
Paul  du  Chaillu.  He  had  written  more  than 
one  very  good  book  designed  for  grown-up 
readers.  Then  he  wrote  a  book  for  Young 
Folks,  wherein  he  told  something  of  his  ad- 
ventures in  the  Gorilla  Country,  closing  it  with 
the  words:  "  ^Au  revoir ;'  that  means  good-by 
till  I  come  again." 

He  has  now  come  again,  and  a  more  welcome 
visitor  it  would  be  hard  to  name.  There  are 
three  great  travelers  whom  the  Editor  of  this 
Magazine  knows  well,  and  whom  at  various 
times  he  has  specially  introduced  to  its  read- 
ers. The  scenes  of  their  explorations  lie  far 
apart,  all  of  them  being  in  regions  heretofore 
almost  unknown.  No  three  men  can  be  found 
differing  more  widely  in  personal  appearance. 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Hall,  to  whom  it  has  been 
reserved  by  his  own  individual  labor  to  clear 
up  the  mystery  of  the  fate  of  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin and  his  associates — a  task  which  had  been 
vainly  attempted  by  expeditions  fitted  out  by  the 
Governments  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States — bom,  we  think,  certainly  reared,  in  the 
Great  West — is  a  man  of  large  frame,  with  light 
hair,  blue  eyes,  and  flowing  beard,  a  very  Vi- 
king in  aspect ;  rather  slow  of  speech — a  man 
whom  upon  first  introduction  one  would  be  apt 
to  set  down  as  the  most  diffident  person  he  ever 
met.  Mr.  John  Ross  Browne,  now  Ameri- 
can Minister  to  China,  born  in  Ireland,  but 


•  Wild.  TJfe  under  the  Equator ;  narrated  for  Young 
People.  By  Paul  nc  Chaillu.  Harper  and  Brothers, 
New  York. 


from  boyhood  an  American,  is  rather  above 
middle  height,  spare  of  figure,  with  scanty 
dark  hair,  broad  forehead,  and  the  general  air 
of  a  scholar  rather  than  of  an  explorer.  Mr. 
Du  Chaillu — our  "Friend  Paul" — is,  though 
born  in  America,  of  French  descent,  and  edu- 
cated in  France ;  and  while  he  writes  our  lan- 
guage with  perfect  facility,  and  speaks  it  with 
fluency,  it  is  with  a  marked  Parisian  intona- 
tion. He  is  hardly  five  feet  four  in  stature, 
and  slight  in  form ;  we  doubt  if  he  weighs  a 
hundred  pounds.  His  closely-cropped  hair  is 
as  black  as  a  raven's  wing ;  and  were  it  not 
for  the  flashing  of  a  most  brilliant  black  eye, 
he  is  about  the  last  man  whom  one  would 
dream  of  being  the  most  daring  traveler  of 
our  day.  To  these  three  we  add  the  name  of 
another  whom  we  only  know  from  his  books, 
but  who  yet  always  seems  to  us  like  a  personal 
friend  :  David  Livingstone,  Scotch  by  birth, 
but  African  by  long  residence  and  wide  travel. 
A  spare,  wiry  man  of  middle  stature — we  judge 
from  his  portrait — with  strongly  marked  and 
rather  rugged  features ;  by  no  means  a  nota- 
ble-looking personage. 

But  all  these  three  men  ^1;hom  we  know  pos- 
sess one  characteristic  in  common.  They  are 
lo^^able  men.  Children — those  instinctive  judges 
of  human  nature — take  to  them  at  once.  Let 
either  of  them  be  seated  at  your  fireside,  and 
in  half  an  hour — you  can  not  tell  how — all  your 
Young  People  will  be  clambering  around  them. 
So,  too,  with  uncivilized  men,  who  are  but  big 
children,  and  quite  often  very  bad  ones.  They 
take  to  these  men.     Livingstone  also  clearly 


